Tagged: Bone

I am writing this column a day earlier than I usually do in hopes that with more time it will be better written and better researched. Weird thing is I didn’t do any more research and I am not sure why I would be a better writer at 3AM on a Saturday than I am at 3AM on a Sunday. Let’s chalk this one up to pointless planning and once again celebrate procrastination.

The one exciting thing about this week’s column is it’s my 9th. My final single digits column. So sad. To celebrate I will be rewarding 9 lucky readers with a no expenses paid date with Forbidden Planet’s resident Shipping Monster/Skinny Pants-Wearer, Ben. You thought I was going to offer up Tech Wizard/Baby Eagle, Tyler, didn’t you? Here’s the thing. Tyler reads this column. He has to. Hi Tyler. He would edit this part out before you all ever got close to hand feeding him the baby shrimp he eats for every meal. I am pretty sure Ben does not read this and I am very sure he can’t stop it before it comes out, hence my contest offering him up as a prize. Good luck everyone. May the best 9 men or women win. Anyway, there are a lot of good books out this week and I ran out of jokes in mid January so let’s get on with the show, shall we?

There are a few publishers in the world that have such an amazing vision, such a unique and well cultivated sensibility, that their brand can be trusted without question, their logo on a book jacket is basically a greenlight for smart readers. Vertigo has always been at the forefront of those publishers. Sandman, Swamp Thing, Hellblazer, Preacher, V For Vendetta, 100 Bullets, Transmetropolitan, Invisibles, Scalped, Y The Last Man, DMZ, Sweet Tooth, Fables, Unknown Soldier, and tons more. That list alone is sort of breathtaking. Unfortunately for everyone who likes good stuff, Vertigo has fallen on a bit of hard times. Long running books are being moved to DC, books that traditionally would be Vertigo titles are being lost to other publishers, and worst of all, books are being overlooked. NEW DEADWARDIANS is one of those titles. Smart, fun, social commentary on gender and class struggle as told through a society of zombies, vampires, and humans, trying to survive together in post-Victorian England, New Deadwardians is the kind of book that would have been a must have for savvy comic fans 10 years ago. I miss those days of great books getting attention.

It’s always an exciting thing when you find an artist you can fall in love with and watch their work grow over time. Riley Rossmo is one of those artists for me. Falling stylistically between folks like Ashley Wood, Ben Templesmith, and Fiona Staples, Rossmo’s work is both unique and somehow familiar. Having honed his craft on books like Cowboy Ninja Viking, Green Wake, Proof, and Bedlam, Rossmo has once again put together a new project that looks like it may be his best work yet. DIA DE LOS MUERTOS is a short anthology series with a great concept, 9 good writers contribute horror stories about the Mexican Day Of The Dead for Rossmo to illustrate. Greatness ensues. The 1st issue of this 3 issue series is out this week and well worth the attention of anyone looking for the next great comic artist.

Andy Diggle has written a lot of comics. Jock has drawn a lot of comics. Together they made brilliant comics like Green Arrow: Year One and The Losers. This week they are finally brought together again for the first issue of their “wrong time, wrong place” crime thriller SNAPSHOT. It came out in Judge Dredd Megazine in the UK but British people don’t always share their stuff with us well so Image is re-releasing it for us stateside. Man, I’m so happy we had that revolution. If you have never read any of their stuff get ready for fast paced, gritty, clever, and beautiful. If you have then I’m sure you’re already buying this one.

I guess the story that everybody talks about with ZED is that it was Michael Gagne’s labor of love for 11 years. That is an awfully long time to work on a book. It would be heartbreaking if it was bad. Luckily for all of us ZED is pretty brilliant. This seemingly whimsical tale of an adorable alien turns very dark and brutal when the fate of his planet is thrust upon him. When I was young the stuff for kids that I actually cared about was upsetting, traumatic, and wonderful. Bambi, The Seventh Seal, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Pinocchio, Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, Beetlejuice, The Witches, Lord Of The Flies, and on and on forever. That is something kids and YA entertainment has lost these days, the idea that it’s ok to be harrowing and terrifying. ZED has that perfect mix of innocence and brutality that makes it feel substantial enough for kids and adults to fall in love with. This is how classics are made.

I suppose a journalist should be impartial and have objectivity. I get that. Luckily, what I do is pretty far from journalism in most regards. Mostly I just tell you to buy stuff and you ignore me and buy Green Lantern. So with that first test failed I can move past and journalistic aspirations and put it out there that I have very little objectivity. There are comic creators who I like. I value their work and I pull for it to be successful. Luckily 99% of the time (maybe more like 87%) I am pulling for these creators because they are good and deserve to have readers. Joshua Dysart is one of those creators. I buy everything the guy writes. Remember a few weeks ago when I got real weird and preachy on how good Unknown Soldier is and how good his Harbinger vol. 1 is? Well now I am doing it again because I can. HARBINGER #0 is out this week. An origin story following the rise of the mysterious Toyo Harada, this issue is a great jumping on point for anyone who wants to read one of the best superhero books on shelves today. It’s nice looking, smart, and it isn’t something you have read 100 times before. Just do it.

Well that concludes our 9th column together. Here’s to the next 9, may they be as sweet as our tears and as bitter as our dreams. Now to pick the 9 winners of the 1st ever weekly “Take Ben To Eat And See Where It Goes” contest. If you see a big $$$ at the bottom of this page it means you are a winner! Drop by Forbidden Planet with donuts, lamb & rice (no salad), or Dos Toros to collect your prize.

The line between comic book continuity and Hollywood has never been thinner, and both fan communities are adding fuel to the fire! The success of TheAvengers movie has cemented another five solid years of comic book films, and that is only on Marvel’s slate. DC is SURE to throw their hat into the ring, either updating Batman in four years (ala Amazing Spider-Man) or finally getting off their keisters and making that Justice League movie everybody’s been waiting for.

MEANWHILE, indie comics both large and small continue to be a goldmine speculation business for producers. WHAT will be the next Walking Dead, and how can you be on the ground floor?

Here’s a quick guide to a few properties you might want to start reading…not only are they great comics, they could end up as big business blockbusters! Let’s start with the obvious and wind our way down to the obscure:

A great deal of people REALLY want you to like the T.M.N.T. in 2013. There are multiple television, toy and films being developed by several different entertainment conglomerates, all agreeing that, since the turtles were a huge runaway moneymaker once, it surely MUST happen again, right?

IDW’s current run of Turtle comics have been ALL RIGHT as far as these things go. The beautiful Turtle Archive book the same company has been publishing in deluxe hardcover have been a blast, too! Are the turtles books great? Well, they’re pretty darn good, and frankly, they are a refreshing breath of creative fresh air…since no one knew (at the time) this was going to be big business, the creators could throw ANY old thing in there.

Bone is one of those comics which must seem ancient to anyone born after it was created in the 90’s. Creator Jeff Smith and former publisher Scholastic have often toyed with turning BONE into a big screen blockbuster, and with good reason; Bone has already seen successful toys, video games, and multiple multi-volume printings.

The Avengers movie is AWESOME, you have to go see it right now! Well, it was alright. Actually, I kinda’ didn’t like it. I know that’s strange, I mean, the director has done such impressive work, and it had that REALLY hot girl in it…what was her name? Dang it, it’s on the tip of my tongue. You know, she has the crazy red hair and the skin-tight cat suit. UMA THURMAN, that’s the gal.

I don’t see what all the fuss is about…folks have said that the Hulk steals the show, but he wasn’t even IN this picture. Plus, and let’s be honest, it was cool seeing Sean Connery, but the whole weather dominator thing was a little hokey.

I just felt like I wasn’t seeing the same movie as the critics.

WHAT NOW?

Did you know that the Forbidden Planet has a plethora of other, totally fun and non-Avengers related products that you can purchase and enjoy while you try to fill the empty shell that is the wasted time in your life between rewatchings of the Avenger’s movie?

OF COURSE YOU KNEW. You had to walk in the door just to pick this newsletter up, right (or maybe you’re reading this on our blog, between reviews for many of these fine non-Avengers related products)? You must have seen all the kick-ass stuff littering the display cases, shelves and walls. Did you need Doctor Who TARDIS salt and pepper-shakers? Do you need an officially licensed Hellboy or BuffyOuiji Board? Do you need recreations of old hot rod plastic model kits?

UPSTAIRS, and yes, I am aware that, to some of you, it is news there is an upstairs; there are card games, role playing games, dice games and MORE! In fact, the upstairs alone is a role playing game…you pretend that you’re a customer looking for nifty manga, and we pretend that we’re clerks. In reality we’re hard-light holograms, and the entire store is one giant holodeck. Continue reading →

It’s been pretty crazy these past several weeks, here in the basement of Forbidden Planet NYC. There was the heat wave … and other things to, I suspect. I just remember the heat wave, then a blank period, and then waking up with a copy of RASL stuck to the side of my face.

Of course, there is always the smothering embrace of an ever-expanding pile of mini comics, which processes a seductive power akin to falling asleep in the snow (a fate whose appeal has increased sevenfold in the past few days). Two books in particular have helped to both entertain me and to fan my perspiring brow as though I were the obese sheriff of a Bandit-plagued southern township.

Unspoken is collection of short anthology and zine submissions from the early 90s. Now an established creator (with four books out from Fantagraphics, including Artichoke Tales), these stories were done while Kelso was still cutting her teeth. That said, the work is solid, though a bit hit-or-miss. Here the artist is still finding her voice, and as such the stories and art are quite varied. This is both a positive and a negative, as it yields comics that don’t ways work as well as they could have, or in the case of “The Alien Birth,” that veer off into genres that the artist wasn’t as comfortable with. But that is what being a young and hungry cartoonist is all about: trying everything and seeing what sticks. Continue reading →

It’s a Saturday in December and we’re in full gear Holiday Season drive here at FPNYC.

From my favorite Christmas movie- Die Hard.

Man, do I wish one of our suppliers and/or colleagues made a high-quality repro of that shirt (I’m looking at you, founditemclothing.com ).

Can’t think of that perfect gift for the comics-savvy person/people on your shopping list? Tom Spurgeon (aka The Comics Reporter) has some great suggestions.

Perennial all-ages bestseller Bone has some mighty stiff competition from Amulet this year.

You may have seen in an earlier post that Lynda Barry came by the shop last week and signed all our copies of her new book, Picture This. Pick yours up while we have stock, or contact us for mail-order availability. There’s something else… What was it? Oh yeah, the book was also favorably reviewed in The New York Times last week.